Be happy!

Happiness. It’s important, right? Throughout our lives we will all experience times of happiness and times of sadness. Whilst we might not be able to control everything going on around us, most of us would prefer to go about our daily lives with a smile on our face.

On Sunday 20 March 2016, in some corners of the planet, the world celebrated International Day of Happiness. Whilst its fan base might be small, the intent is well meaning and gives a chance to reflect on the important things in life.

Despite the worldwide success of Pharrell Williams’ song, “Happy” I must put my own cards on the table and disagree with the notion that happiness is in some way connected to a feeling “like a room without a roof”. For anyone who has undergone any home improvements, or even a spot of painting, a room without a roof strikes fear and panic into the heart of most.

A wise man, in this case Mahatma Ghandi, once said, “happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”.

What you do… How do you do happiness?

At SK Chase, we recently undertook a little research of our own and found that 93% of those surveyed had received an unwanted Christmas present and that 71% would prefer an experience to a material gift.

In the same survey, 65% had purchased the experience as a gift with the specific intent to create special memories. In an age where social media results in us living more anti-social lives and our dependence on 24/7 mobile technology and email checking… it is no wonder that many of us simply seek to spend a little precious time in the company with those with love.

So, what is it about giving experiences that resonates with people – both giving and receiving?

Do you remember the colour of those socks you got last year?

I would hazard a guess to say it is a little easier for you to recall a time you went for dinner at a fancy restaurant or shared a cup of tea one afternoon with a friend you hadn’t seen in a while.

Perhaps it was a day on the golf course heading down the fairways with the boys or simply lying head down on the therapist’s bed indulging in a relaxing massage or facial. Laughing, relaxing, and creating memories.

With a guilty level of experience in getting it wrong, I can say with some confidence that material gifts are often hard to get right, unless the recipient has specified exactly what they would like… but then where is the fun in that?

When you are next struggling to think of a birthday, anniversary or Christmas gift idea… the answer is often close by. Why not give the gift of time (with or without you) for an experience and opportunity to create a lasting memory for someone special.

SK Chase Ltd.

Telephone:

We first engaged with SK Chase in December 2016, to explore our gift voucher sales process. Our iconic five star hotel on Waterloo Place has 183 bedrooms and suites, an award-winning spa, one of London’s best French restaurants, The Balcon, sophisticated St James Bar and The Rose Lounge, perfect for an exclusive Afternoon Tea… all of which, we believe, makes it an ideal venue for a gift experience!

At the time, it was not possible to purchase a gift vouchers easily and without speaking to a member of the hotel team. Requests to purchase gift vouchers could be made via an online request form on our website but conversion was low as only monetary vouchers were available and buyers were unable to pay directly online.

We met with SK Chase and we went live in March 2017 less than six weeks after finalising the contract; our first sale was within hours! The set-up process was smooth, efficient, fast and clear. Our training and support throughout the process was exceptional and flawless.

Since the introduction of SK Chase gift voucher platform, we have had great feedback across the board from the hotel management and more importantly our guests. We have seen a tremendous improvement in conversion, and ultimately revenue. We are now in control of our vouchers with a wide variety of experiences (as well as monetary) now available to buy online 24/7. The new dashboard gives a handy insight into our sales with the full picture being tracked, recorded and accessible at any point.

“SK Chase are an absolute pleasure to work with; not only was the set up process made simple in a step-by-step guide, but help is always on hand from their team. Working with SK Chase allows us to ease the customer journey through our gift voucher site with a clearer, image-led navigation structure.”

Jo Booth
Communications Executive, Apex Hotels

‘Ramside Hall have had the pleasure of working closely with SK Chase for a number of years. Throughout this time the service, attention and support from the whole team at SK Chase, from account management to training and support, has been exceptional. It is a great comfort to the hotel team to know that there is always someone to help with our ad hoc, day-to-day queries.

As a luxury hotel we have been targeted by suppliers who claim to be able to provide a better service for a lower price, however, when it came to adding gift vouchers to our sister properties, SK Chase was our number one choice. The team involved in setting up our new properties were quick, efficient and a pleasure to work with.

I would have no hesitation in recommending SK Chase to anyone looking to establish and grow their gift voucher revenue and benefiting from SK Chase’s luxury hotel experience.’

Nick McIvor
Group Revenue Manager, Ramside Hall

“The high level of service SK Chase provides has been unwavering over the years we have worked together. Quick and efficient from an administrative perspective, saving our central marketing team time and resources and regular and useful training at a hotel sales level has made the process of selling gift vouchers straightforward and productive with a year on year increase year in online voucher sales across the collection.”

Nicola Davies
Content Manager
Red Carnation Hotels

“We have been using the SK Chase system since 2005, and it helps us greatly to successfully sell the Rocco Forte Gifts online as well as offline at our hotels.”

Nadine Bong-Schmidt
Ecommerce Manager, Rocco Forte Hotels

““We were looking for a partner to work to promote and fulfill our on-line sales of Gift Vouchers. We researched options available to us and SK Chase came up trumps each time. All of the feedback we received was most complimentary so our decision to work with SK Chase was one of confidence.

In the 18 months we have been working in partnership, our Gift Voucher Sales have grown by a very impressive 47%. Working with SK Chase provides the perfect solution for the on-line sales of Gift Vouchers. Not only does it take away the administrational needs and resources of our in-house sales team, but from a customer perspective; it provides a professional, seamless customer journey in purchasing a selection of gifts at their fingertips. The SK Chase team not only provide continuous suggestions and tips for improvement, but their friendly team are always at the end of the phone when any questions or support is required.”